28 replies to this topic

[Xoco]

My first heavy is a Dragon 5N. I had been having very horrible time with it until today when I finally bit the bullet and put an XL engine on it. Gaining an extra 20kph, and SRM6, and 2 MPL makes life much more peachy so far. Still have upgraded it for Ferro-armor or endosteel, so I'm always very low on ammo.

But I have 1 single Dragon. I won't have enough c-bills to buy a new one any time soon. Even if I manage to get a new one, I won't be able to kit it out very easily. This means that I will be running without those delicious skills for the next month or so (or considering other stuff I have to contend with in life, about 3 months).

Any advice on how to approach this situation?

--

Also, I kinda wanna use SSRM instead of the normal SRM. But there only seems to be SSRM2. Where are the bigger verions?

Edited by Xoco, 03 October 2015 - 08:46 PM.

[Wintersdark]

Get your basic skills in that. Then, use that money to buy another, take everything out of your 5n and put it in the next. Lather, rinse, repeat. Moving engines and stuff around makes early Mechwarrior life much easier.

Inner sphere only has ssrm2 at this point, there are no bugger versions.

[DA BAWSS]

From what I see when the 5N is scarcely seen, these builds work best:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...040c4fd44c0f401
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a9139920aabf569

[Pezzer]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fa57af2761481f5
GG

Optional version with FF:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d4447d14a6a8b5c
Switched out SRM6 for SRM4 just for the extra ammo, otherwise you're free to switch them back.

As Dragon veteran, I believe in the XL300 principle. Anything faster and you're carrying less weaponry than a 55 tonner. Anything slower and you're risking your battlefield usefulness, not to mention your well-being. The XL300 is PERFECT for this platform, and you can just buy 1 and grind.
I also have to tell you that this particular variant is viewed as the...more difficult one to pilot. With LPLs and hilarious cooling, life gets easier in any machine, however, so enjoy!

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Pezzer, on 06 October 2015 - 12:22 AM, said:

As Dragon veteran, I believe in the XL300 principle. Anything faster and you're carrying less weaponry than a 55 tonner.

That's not actually true.

The ideal weight for moving at 106 kph (6/9) without jump jets is 60 tons. So the grand dragon with its XL360 is ideally designed for TT. In MWO however the extra 15kph is worth diddly squat since flanking isn't really used and you can't miss the dragon's CT even from across the map.

[stalima]

to master the dragon:

step 1: join kurita
step 2: bow before each fight
step 3: something about skill but i dont think its mandatory after step 1 and 2
step 4: you are now considered a dragon master

[Steel Raven]

I've been piloting the Thunderbolt as my heavy exclusively up till now so the other here will have better in game advice but I notice a couple of things: 1.) The Champion build looks good if your a Gauss sniper, though the Gauss isn't for everyone and 2.) You can replace the Gauss with a LB-10X with room to spare, matches up with large lasers for a decent punch but you will get higher DPS with the multi- ac layouts.

[Chocowolf Sradac]

use the other dragons to master the 1N

use the OP 1N with AC5s

[Void Angel]

The Dragon is a forgotten 'mech that has had new life breathed into it by way of massive quirking. In fact, it's one of the poster children for quirk complaints. The 1N is the real killer - 2 AC/5s on the arm can fire almost as fast as AC/2s - while other builds simply use an XL engine and do what they can.

[Xoco]

I don't know if this is any effective, but I just removed that UAC5 and replaced it with 3xAC2. And man, IT'S FUN!

Set both left and right mouse button to chain fire all 3 AC2s. Hold both buttons. See a hail of AC2 machinegun. I cried manly tears last game as I pound the back of a direwhale.

I also tried manually firing 3 guns, and it seems to be able to pump out even more bullets than using chain fire. I heard that chainfire is borked for this build and won't fire as fast as possible. That's a real shame.

I think I'll stick with this build for a bit and see how it goes. The build with alternate UAC5 and AC2 looks like loads of fun too. I should try that.

[Roughneck45]

Xoco, on 08 October 2015 - 06:54 AM, said:

I heard that chainfire is borked for this build and won't fire as fast as possible. That's a real shame.

The build with alternate UAC5 and AC2 looks like loads of fun too. I should try that.

If i remember correctly, chain fire spaces shots out by .5 seconds and the recycle time for the AC2 is faster than that, so chain firing them will decrease your overall damage output.

If you are enjoying lots of dakka on it, I would go with the UAC5 and AC2 combo. That way you wont have to worry about ghost heat or chain fire.

However, this build

Pezzer, on 06 October 2015 - 12:22 AM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fa57af2761481f5

Is probably your most effective option.

[Dog Soup]

Roughneck45, on 08 October 2015 - 09:36 AM, said:

If i remember correctly, chain fire spaces shots out by .5 seconds and the recycle time for the AC2 is faster than that, so chain firing them will decrease your overall damage output.

If you are enjoying lots of dakka on it, I would go with the UAC5 and AC2 combo. That way you wont have to worry about ghost heat or chain fire.

However, this build

Is probably your most effective option.

Just add FF to get all the armor back.

[Foxfire kadrpg]

I am a big fan of the Dragon. Was my first mech too, and I still very much love my 1C.

Plenty of people already gave you builds, so let me give you some overarching advice:

Dragons are XL friendly. Think of your Center torso as a shield for your side torsos. The extra CT Structure quirks really play into this.

Dragons have a Medium mech move type. This means they scale steeper cliffs than other mechs, which plays into the next part of Dragons: Positioning.

Think "Hidden Dragon". A visible dragon is a bullet magnet, but a dragon that makes sure the enemy does not see him, or sees a teammate first will be able to cart significant, direct-fire capability around the battlefield swiftly.

Best of luck.

[Wadesin]

buy the dragon 1 n . You then "in my opinion" have the highest damage output mech in the game over a match.

[Roughneck45]

Dog Soup, on 08 October 2015 - 01:13 PM, said:

Just add FF to get all the armor back.

Wasn't my build, but yeah good point. Didn't see that before.

[Xoco]

Been having some new problems: Ammo management.

I run out of ammo trying to solo just 1 or 2 mechs, especially heavier ones. I usually do circle strafing, so I'm not hitting them in all the same areas, which is in efficient. But being Dragon makes it really hard to aim well (they hit my nose and kill me first), so I'm always twisting and using free-look to aim.
Any tips? Or should I just flat out stop trying to solo anyone as a ballistic mech?

[Audacious Aubergine]

How many tonnes of ammo for how many of what size of cannon do you have?
What (if any) are the backup lasers?
You may have to take less and/or smaller lasers to fit more ammo.
Otherwise, accept that you'll run out eventually and have faith that your backup lasers are good enough to do you good. That was how I settled with my Muromets and CTF-4X
Edit: also consider dropping any missile systems you might have. Srms are good but if you're short on ammo for your main gun(s) then the tonnage they require might not be worth it

Edited by FreebirthToad18999, 11 October 2015 - 05:17 PM.

[Xoco]

FreebirthToad18999, on 11 October 2015 - 05:13 PM, said:

How many tonnes of ammo for how many of what size of cannon do you have?
What (if any) are the backup lasers?
You may have to take less and/or smaller lasers to fit more ammo.
Otherwise, accept that you'll run out eventually and have faith that your backup lasers are good enough to do you good. That was how I settled with my Muromets and CTF-4X
Edit: also consider dropping any missile systems you might have. Srms are good but if you're short on ammo for your main gun(s) then the tonnage they require might not be worth it

Currently carrying 3xAC2 and a medium laser (and AMS).
I have 5 or 5.5 tons of AC2 ammo on me, I think. It feels as if I should have plenty (well, I could solo 2 mechs if I survive long enough), but combine that with a bit of sniping and poking means I do run out pretty quickly.

I'm usually sitting at 4-500dmg for games that I last long enough until I run out. But that seems to be the hard limit--and a lot of times, it just isn't quite enough.

Would it be better to drop an AC2 and just grab more ammo (maybe an SRM while I'm at it?)

[Audacious Aubergine]

Might be better going to double AC5 instead, triple AC2 is fun but they're more meant for poking people from a distance rather than soloing. They fire quickly but also need a fair few hits to start causing significant damage, so for three or four bursts of 3xAC2 fire, you'd only be doing the same amount as a single 2xAC5 volley - I haven't really measured it so I can't tell, and I'm really only going from my experience in the Dakkaphract.
Though if you're averaging 400-500 damage by the time you're out, then it seems like you're doing something right and so I guess it really is just inevitable that you'll run out, lol

[Roughneck45]

Xoco, on 12 October 2015 - 04:16 AM, said:

Currently carrying 3xAC2 and a medium laser (and AMS).
I have 5 or 5.5 tons of AC2 ammo on me, I think. It feels as if I should have plenty (well, I could solo 2 mechs if I survive long enough), but combine that with a bit of sniping and poking means I do run out pretty quickly.

Are you using an XL engine? It sounds like you should have more tonnage to work with. If you want to run triple AC2's I would go with this.
DRG-5N
My rule of thumb for ammo is 3 tons for the first weapon, 2 tons for each duplicate weapon, and an extra ton or two if it is the main source of damage.

Honestly though, two AC or UAC5's would be much more efficient.